Haunted Hotels and Inns: Quebec and Ontario

 

3. Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, Quebec City, Quebec

This is one of the most famous hotels in Canada. It is listed as a National Historic site and is among the nation's most celebrated landmarks. Located in the heart of old Quebec it resides on the grounds of former Château St. Louis. Which had functioned as the main administrative office for both the French and British colonial governments until it had burned down in 1834.

William Van Horne, the president of the Canadian Pacific Railway, had chosen this site as the location for his extravagant hotel. It had been built in the late 1800s as a railroad hotel. This was to attract tourists to cities while traveling the newly built Canadian Pacific Railway. He hired renowned American architect Bruce Price to create the building's design and construction began in 1892. It has emerged to be one of the world's preeminent holiday destinations. Several international luminaries have stayed at the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. Including military aviator Charles Lindbergh, Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco, and French President Charles de Gaulle. Even Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom has come to stay in this splendid hotel. It has also been the site of many historical events, like the Quebec Conferences of World War II which were held in 1943 and 1944. The meetings themselves were chaired by U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King.

However, the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac is famous for another reason, its paranormal activity. The hotel was built upon the grounds of the former home of Louis de Baude de Frontenac. He was the third Governor-General of New France and served from 1672 to 1682. If you stay at the hotel there is a chance you will see our good friend Louis de Baude de Frontenac. He has been known as that 17-century figure that paces the halls of the hotel. He died in his home which sat on the ground the hotel now sits. His death instructions were quite strange, he asked for his heart to be cut out and placed in a decorative box to be given to his lover. However, she was too grief-stricken to open it, and so she sent it back. As the story goes, Louis hasn't forgotten this rejection for 350-ish years. So he waits, paces, and haunts the hotel. Louis is not linked to any room. Though according to some reports Louis likes to linger on the second floor. You might see him by the windowsill only to vanish after a minute. Others have spotted him in the ballroom.

But, Louis isn't the only one haunting the hotel. There is also the woman in white. Now, there is very little known about this woman. Other than the fact she is sad, she's in a nightgown, and she likes to join people while they are in bed. Like Louis, she doesn't seem to be attached to any room either. She is said to roam the hotel, especially in bedrooms.

This haunted hotel is a world-class hotel, it is often visited by the world's elite and influential. They have guests ranging from politicians to film stars.

2. Chateau Laurier, Ottawa, Ontario

Led by American railroad magnate Charles Melville Hays, the Grand Trunk Railway was made quite popular throughout western Canada in the late 19th century. He envisioned a new system that would extend all the way to British Columbia. A railroad that would make new company's entice tourists to use the new route. So, the Grand Truck Railway constructed several deluxe hotels in major cities along the route. By the time the railroad appeared in Canada, Hays hired the Canadian architectural firm, Ross and MacFarlane, They would build the Chateau Laurier. Designing the building with French Renaissance-style architecture, including a bit of Gothic Revival-style to flair things up a bit. They would use materials such as Italian marble, light-buff Indiana limestone, and copper. Inside, guestrooms featured luxurious amenities for the time. This included indoor plumbing, laundry services, and automobile repair shops. Decorated with Antique furniture, Czech crystal vases, and a fabulous grand staircase, the Chateau Laurier's front lobby, was unforgettable. He would eventually choose Canada's seventh Prime Minister, Sir Wilfrid Laurier as the namesake for the hotel. He had planned on opening Chateau Laurier in April of 1912. But, his death onboard the RMS Titanic would postpone that. It would not be until June that the hotel would finally open. It was Sir Laurier who seen over the ceremony and was the first guest to register at the hotel. Several political deals, careers, and governments have been created within its walls. Canadian Prime Ministers Richard Bedford Bennet and Pierre Trudeau have referred to the hotel as home. Others such as Queen Elizabeth II, Winston Churchill, King George IV, Nelson Mandela, and former U.S. President Herbert Hoover have all stayed in this fine hotel. Even Yousef Karsh, a world-renowned portrait photographer, operated his studio from the sixth floor of the hotel from 1970-1992. He had photographed several international celebrities, photos of Shirley Temple, Harry Belafonte, Roger Moore, and Smokey Robinsons have all been gifted to the hotel.

However, this grand hotel is said to be haunted by the angry spirit of Charles Melville Hays. His violent ghost can be seen slamming doors and windows and even breaking things around the hotel. In fact, one guest was so scared when objects in her room took on a life of their own that she fled from the hotel. There have also been several reports of feeling watched.

1. The Nicholas Street Hostel, Ottawa, Ontario

This hostel was originally the Carleton County Gaol. More commonly it was known as the Nicholas Street Gaol or Ottawa Jail. When it closed in 1972, it was purchased by Hostelling International who converted the building but left much of it intact. This was so that guests could get the feeling of spending a night in “jail”. The top floor, which served as death row, has been restored to its original condition and there are daily tours conducted. In 2009, the hostel's bar, Mugshots had been opened. And in July of 2011, the outside courtyard was converted into an outdoor bar.

This was the main jail, of Ottawa for over a century. It was built in 1862 beside the courthouse which is connected to by tunnel. On February 11, 1869, Patrick J. Whelan was hung for the assassination of Thomas D'Arcy McGee. 5000 people had witnessed his execution, this was a large number as Ottawa was very small at the time. Both staff and guests have reported that Whelan's ghost is one of many that haunts the hostel. He is known to appear at guests' beds or in his death row cell.

The third official and final execution happened on March 27, 1946, when Eugène Larment had killed an Ottawa police detective was hanged. The jail remained in use until 1972, but then the outdated facility was closed. The jail's original gallows are fully functional.

When the jail was opened it provided very inhumane conditions to its prisoners, and modern-day excavations have actually revealed unmarked graves. Up to 150 prisoners including men, women, and children were forced to share 60 small cells which were 1x3 meters, and 30 larger cells which were 2x3 meters. There were also 6 solitary confinement units. The prisoners within the jail walls included murderers and the mentally ill, mixed with those who were incarcerated for a minor offense. Such as being drunk and disorderly.

The jail has appeared on two Canadian paranormal TV shows. One was called The Girly Ghosthunters and the other was called Mystery Hunters. They say that you will see Patrick J. Whelan walking through the halls towards the gallows where he died. It is said that his restless spirit is caused by an undignified burial that followed his execution.

Haunted Locations:

The Hole:

Also known as solitary confinement, this area has ominous, negative energy. Guests have reported overwhelming feelings of despair in this cramped, unlighted place.

The Gallows:

 These are still standing and fully functional. Guests have reported footsteps, disembodied voices, and other baffling sounds coming from the chamber.

The Lounge:

 This area was once used to house women and children prisoners. Echoes from the past still linger here today. Guests have said they have heard children crying and screaming, as well as knocking on doors and footsteps in the empty room.

BONUS

Prince George Hotel, Kingston, Ontario

The Prince George Hotel has a storied history that starts in 1809. It was during this time that Kingston was a navy town with both military and civilian mariners who would come to shore to wet their whistles in the waterfront tavern. The Prince George hotel fulfilled that desire.

During part of the 1800s, Prince George Hotel was owned by the Herchimer family. Legend has it that their own daughter perished in a fire in one of the hotel rooms. From that day on it has been said that the Prince George Hotel has been haunted.

In 2003, Haunting Research Organization assessed the upper floors and declared that there was a paranormal presence there. The hotel has even been featured on the American television show Ghost Hunters.

During the U.S. Prohibition, Prince George Hotel was headquarters for the rum-runners, who ran booze across the lake and up and down the St. Lawrence Seaway. The hotel has caught fire numerous times, the last major fire was in 2004. However, Kingston had a professional and well-equipped fire department, they fought the Prince George Hotel heroically and managed to save the Irish and British pubs on the main floor.

They say there is a nice lady ghost at the desk that when you turn your head she disappears from the room. However, late-night sailors and weary travelers can't stay in the 200-year-old rooms on the upper floors of the Prince George Hotel. The hotel rooms have been converted into loft apartments and the tenants are long-term.

According to Jax Harripersad when the hotel was operational several cleaning staff reported hearing and seeing strange things on the third floor. This included lights and radios turning on and off and doors locking, unlocking, and slamming shut behind them. Some of the staff even reported seeing the shadowy figure of a woman drifting through the hallway.

The ghost is believed to be Lily Herchimer. It is said that Lily had an affair with a sailor, and her parents did not approve of the relationship. On nights when her love was out in the harbor, Lily would hang a lit lantern at her window. This would signal to him that it was safe for him to come and visit. One night, Lily fell asleep when the lantern was still lit. A gust of wind had blown it back into the room and it started a fire. Lily died in the blaze, and it is said that she haunts the halls of the Prince George Hotel in search of her lost love.